New York City has declared today, October 11, to be Final Fantasy XII Day. The honor was bestowed upon Square Enix for the impact the Final Fantasy franchise has had on the gaming and digital entertainment communities.

Daishiro Okada, president and COO of Square Enix, Inc. had this to say: "Square Enix is thrilled to accept the great honor that New York City & Co. has bestowed upon us. For Final Fantasy XII Day, we hope that New Yorkers and all Final Fantasy fans will unite to celebrate this esteemed occasion with us."

There were several events planned for the festive occasion that began at 11:30 a.m. To kick off the event, officials handed over the declaration to Square Enix executives, Akitoshi Kawazu, executive producer of Final Fantasy XII, and Okada at a ceremony located at the Times Square Visitors Information Center. The ceremony also included the unveiling of the cosplay costume winners selected from the official online contest and a brief press conference for media attendees. Additionally, there was a viewing of the trailer in Times Square, and street team members roamed Manhattan, giving away limited-edition Final Fantasy XII swag throughout the day.

Final Fantasy XII hit Japanese shelves on March 16 and is currently set for a North American release on October 31.